Kirchner’s work is a chapbook of poems that draws from physics principles to explore motherhood and loss.

“The Physics of Love” is all about connection, the starstuff that intertwines mother and child, soul and stone, and the living and the dead – ‘all of us spinning against each other in the dark’ and ‘bumping into God’ while we’re at it,” said Tania Runyan, author of ‘What Will Soon Take Place: Poems’ and ‘How to Write a Poem.’ “With surprising imagery and fearless spirituality, Kirchner blurs the border between heaven and earth, delighting us with its gorgeous heartaches and mysteries. A dazzling debut worthy of savoring again and again.”

Kirchner, assistant professor of language and literature, director of SBU’s Writing Center and a 1998 SBU graduate, also is a poet and fiction writer. Her fiction and prose poetry have recently appeared in such places as “Literary Orphans,” “Rappahannock Review,” “Gravel,” “Cave Region Review,” “Foliate Oak Lit Mag,” “Eunoia Review” and “Unbroken Journal.” She is currently working on a collection of Civil War fairy tales.

“The Physics of Love” was a project Kirchner worked on over the course of several years.

“As the title suggests, the poems deal with people, ideas and concepts that govern my daily life: the loves and frustrations of motherhood; the joys of faith and wonder; the blessings of gain and loss,” Kirchner said. “I was honored when Concrete Wolf Press selected my manuscript as the winner of their 2016 chapbook contest. I’ve dreamt of publishing a book for years, and I am thrilled with the final product.”

Kirchner’s book has recently been published and is now available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the Concrete Wolf Press website at http://bit.ly/2i5DCnR. She can be reached at ckirchner@SBUniv.edu.

Ethics

Missouri lawmakers passed a firmly pro-life budget May 9 that defunds abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood and provides support for moms and babies. The $28 billion budget is headed to Gov. Eric Greitens, who is pro-life.

Missouri

She had a 6-foot-wide hole in her roof and a 55-gallon drum catching rainwater in her living room. Retired after 35 years in the Viburnum school district and now living with her son who was diagnosed with cancer, Love Thy Neighbor gave this elderly widow a brand new roof. “While the crew worked, she cried tears of joy and told story after story about having either them or their parents in class,” said Justin Perry, pastor at FBC, Viburnum.